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Page 1
Answer Key
1. A
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45. A
1. The set of criteria for deciding what is newsworthy has evolved over time.
A) True
B) False
2. An inverted-pyramid lead, carefully attributed sources, and limited use of adverbs and
adjectives are the hallmarks of a neutral news story.
A) True
B) False
3. Herbert Gans found that beliefs like ethnocentrism and small-town pastoralism
consistently affect American journalists' judgment.
A) True
B) False
4. Newspaper editors feel that the public's right to know always outweighs other issues,
including national security.
A) True
B) False
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5. Journalists routinely straddle a line between the public's right to know and a person's
right to privacy.
A) True
B) False
6. Two ethical questions emerged from the case of Richard Jewell and the Olympic Park
bombing in 1996. Should the media have camped out at Jewell's home, and should the news
media have named him a suspect, even though he was never charged with a crime?
A) True
B) False
7. According to modern reporting rituals, journalists do not have to rely on outside expert
sources for information, even if they are experts on a subject themselves.
A) True
B) False
8. The quest for balance in a story presents problems for journalists because they do not
always have time or space to tell both sides of the story.
A) True
B) False
9. Many journalists take great pride in asking tough questions and acting as an adversary to
the prominent political leaders and major institutions they cover.
A) True
B) False
10. The public journalism movement asks reporters to remain detached from their
communities and avoid involvement that could reveal a point of view.
A) True
B) False
11. Satirical news shows like The Daily Show with Trevor Noah and The Nightly Show with
Larry Wilmore only seek to entertain, not inform, viewers.
A) True
B) False
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12. Pretty faces are most closely identified with which of the following types of news?
A) Print news
B) TV news
13. The inverted pyramid is most closely identified with which of the following types of
news? A) Print news
B) TV news
14. Quotes are most closely identified with which of the following types of news?
A) Print news
B) TV news
15. Sound bites are most closely identified with which of the following types of news?
A) Print news
B) TV news
16. Which of the following is not one of the techniques outlined by NBC news president
Reuven Frank in 1963 as an effective way to tell a news story?
A) A story should have a beginning, middle, and end.
B) A story should include colorful descriptions that may or may not be factual.
C) A story should have structure and conflict.
D) A story should have rising and falling action.
E) A story should have a problem and denouement.
17. Which of the following is not one of the basic criteria of newsworthiness?
A) Human interest
B) Proximity
C) Timeliness
D) Conflict
E) Consensus
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18. Based on the criteria a local broadcaster would use to determine newsworthiness, which
of the following stories would most likely be covered?
A) Two local city council members get into a heated argument over building a new
statue to honor a local celebrity.
B) People in a small foreign nation elect a new president.
C) Two local city council members agree to spend ten dollars on a new sign for the
council chambers.
D) A local woman takes in a stray cat.
E) A Girl Scout helps an elderly woman cross the road.
19. One of the main reasons newspaper organizations started wanting their reporters to write
in a neutral, detached style was that ______.
A) it would take less ink than printing stories with lots of adjectives
B) it would help reporters determine what is newsworthy
C) it would alienate fewer potential subscribers and advertisers
D) the tradition of a partisan press had become too old-fashioned
E) it made for shorter stories that would mean spending less on ink and paper
20. Historically, “objectivity” became valuable for newspapers and journalists because
______.
A) it was highly valued by Joseph Pulitzer
B) offending the smallest number of people meant earning the largest profit
C) the general public loved the partisan press
D) reporters had a desire to be “fair and balanced” for society's sake
E) All of the options are correct.
21. Critics of CNN say it too often engages in ethnocentrism because ______.
A) it only covers news about Caucasians
B) it tells international stories from a variety of global perspectives
C) it centers its news reporting around ethnic issues
D) it tells international stories from a largely American point of view
E) None of the options are correct.
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22. Herbert Gans studied the newsroom cultures of CBS, NBC, Newsweek, and Time during
the 1970s. Which of the following is not one of the enduring values he identified within these
newsroom cultures?
A) A preference for large-scale, urban settings — a focus on cities rather than rural
communities
B) A focus on the power of individuals to overcome obstacles and personal adversity
C) A relatively procapitalist assumption that businesses compete for the well-being of
the community rather than merely to increase profits
D) A tendency to judge other nations based on how they live up to American values
E) All of the options are correct.
23. According to the textbook, which of the following ideas developed into an underlying,
subjective value in the culture of American journalism?
A) Ethnocentrism
B) Individualism
C) Responsible capitalism
D) Small-town pastoralism
E) All of the options are correct.
24. One problem with journalists assuming the underlying value of responsible capitalism is
that ______.
A) it can lead to a naïve belief that businesses compete to increase the prosperity of all
instead of maximizing their own profits
B) it can lead to a naïve belief that businesses are always evil and put their interests
over the prosperity of all
C) journalists understand too much about the financial issues related to the companies
that employ them
D) it can lead to too much critical coverage of the oligopolistic nature of today's
economy
E) None of the options are correct.
25. The value of favoring the small over the large and the rural over the urban is called
______.
A) ethnocentrism
B) individualism
C) responsible capitalism
D) small-town pastoralism
E) All of the options are correct.
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26. Which of the following would be okay for a journalist to accept from a news source and
still avoid a conflict of interest?
A) A train ride
B) A meal
C) Box seats for a baseball game
D) A promise of greater access to an important figure in exchange for positive stories
E) None of the options are correct.
27. Which of the following could help a journalist resolve a moral or ethical dilemma?
A) The Golden Rule, translated as treating others as you would want to be treated
B) Aristotle's ideal of the “golden mean”
C) Immanuel Kant's principle that you should at all times stick to universal codes of
behavior, such as honesty
D) Jeremy Bentham's and John Stuart Mill's principle of doing the greatest good for the
greatest number
E) All of the options are correct.
28. The textbook suggests that the best way for journalists to reach ethical decisions might
be ______.
A) dealing with complex issues as they arise on a case-by-case basis
B) leaving all decisions to senior management
C) taking the time to work through several critical thinking steps
D) choosing one ethical model (such as Aristotle's) and sticking with it absolutely
E) always assuming that the public's need to know outweighs all other concerns
29. The textbook uses the news coverage of urban illegal drug problems as an example of
______.
A) how the amount of coverage a social problem gets in the news is tied to the actual
severity of that problem
B) how journalists overall are good at providing context for ongoing social problems
C) how news coverage can fail to offer strong continuing coverage of long-term social
problems, considering them old news
D) how journalists can go undercover to get information
E) how journalists all tend to cover the same topics over and over again
Page 8
30. According to the textbook, which of the following is not characteristic of modern
journalism?
A) It tends to rely on “expert” sources for information.
B) It provides little historical context in most front-page stories.
C) It provides detailed interpretation and analysis of news events.
D) It creates an appearance that the reporter is neutral or detached.
E) None of the options are correct.
31. For most journalists, the bottom line is ______.
A) “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you”
B) “Fairness first”
C) the public's right to know
D) “Get the story”
E) managing conflicts of interest
32. Scoop behavior, in which reporters stake out a house or chase celebrities, is
called______.
A) situational ethics
B) herd journalism
C) individualism
D) conflict of interest
E) yellow journalism
33. Journalism critics say the quest for balance presents some problems, including ______.
A) leading to stories that misrepresent complex issues as two-sided dramas
B) disguising that quotes may be selected for the purpose of drama instead of fairness
C) serving business interests rather than journalistic interests
D) failing to represent those who hold a middle position
E) All of the options are correct.
34. ______ refers to the moment when the reporter nabs the wrongdoer.
A) Balanced conflict
B) Herd journalism
C) Ethnocentrism
D) A gotcha story
E) A conflict of interest
Page 9
35. Why have local TV newscasts developed a similar look since the 1970s?
A) TV news directors copied each other.
B) Local news programs became syndicated.
C) Stations hired news consultants, who advised them to buy national prepackaged
formats.
D) Technology dictated that news programs look alike.
E) Studies showed that there was only one way the news could logically be delivered
to viewers.
36. Which of the following did not result from hiring television news consultants?
A) Local news directors purchased national prepackaged formats.
B) Local news put its issues-oriented reporting at the forefront, often starting
newscasts with those stories.
C) A culture of “if it bleeds, it leads” developed in the industry.
D) Everything from music to opening graphics developed a similar look across the
country.
E) Standards of appearance for news anchors became even more rigid.
37. Ad-libbed or scripted banter that goes on among local news anchors, reporters,
meteorologists, and sports reporters before and after news reports is called ______.
A) happy talk
B) crime blocks
C) pretty-face
D) sound bites
E) talking heads
38. The sound bite in a TV news report is the equivalent of a ______ in a newspaper story.
A) source
B) byline
C) lead paragraph
D) quote
E) footnote
39. Which of the following is true about sound bites?
A) They are the TV equivalent of a photograph in newspapers.
B) Their average length has increased since the 1960s.
C) They are usually quite brief and can come from an expert, a celebrity, a victim, or a
person on the street.
D) They are part of a newspaper article.
E) They typically allow extra time for complex and nuanced ideas.
Page 10
40. The growing trend of twenty-four-hour cable news stations filling time with “talking
head” pundits ______.
A) enables the stations to spend more money on producing “solid” journalism
B) allows these stations to appeal to the broadest possible audience by avoiding
offending viewers
C) displays a continued rejection of the “partisan press” roots of American journalism
D) encourages civil conversation about American politics
E) None of the options are correct.
41. Which of the following is true about the growing use of “talking head” pundits on cable
news networks?
A) Pundits have charisma and opinions, but are often weak on facts.
B) It makes an effort to target “niche” news audiences rather than a larger general
audience.
C) The return to partisan news could be seen as a return to journalistic practices of the
seventeenth and eighteenth centuries.
D) The use of pundits is a less expensive strategy for filling the twenty-four-hour news
cycle.
E) All of the options are correct.
42. Which of the following is not a change the Internet has wrought upon traditional
journalism?
A) News reporters are increasingly required to have video and audio elements in their
stories.
B) News consumers can more often see entire interviews instead of only sound bites.
C) Both print and TV news can continually update breaking news stories online.
D) Journalists might rely too heavily on Internet research rather than physically going
to investigate stories.
E) E-mail interviews allow journalists to get more spontaneity out of interview
subjects.
43. Tweeting and blogging are ______.
A) considered a waste of time by almost all news organizations
B) mostly ignored by news media audiences
C) a journalism fad that has passed
D) becoming required duties for journalists
E) done only by journalists of small local papers
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44. While the Internet has provided many new tools for journalists, what is a potential
Internet pitfall for reporters?
A) The enormous amount of information on the Web makes it harder to copy the work
of other journalists.
B) Print journalists are being told to focus on reporting and leave video and camera
work to others.
C) The enormous amount of information available on databases and other sites can
keep reporters at their desks rather than out in the community finding stories and
cultivating sources.
D) Journalists are allowed to tell their story via only one medium.
E) None of the options are correct.
45. A journalist who practices an informational or modern model approach to journalism
would most likely be inclined to focus a story about a crime spree around ______.
A) presenting official comments and statistics in a neutral manner
B) taking an advocacy stance
C) condemning the criminals involved
D) acknowledging his or her own point of view
E) None of the options are correct.
46. Which of the following is a characteristic of public journalism?
A) A focus on the most recent events
B) A “he said–she said” format for reporting news.
C) An emphasis on human-interest stories to attract readers
D) Community criticism and suggested improvement reportings
E) The complete objectivity of reporters
47. In which way does the current trend toward public journalism differ from modern
journalism?
A) It moves away from just telling the news to becoming involved in community life.
B) It insists that neutrality and objectivity are essential to any type of journalism.
C) It moves to increase editorial control in the newsroom and encourage the detached
watchdog mission of journalists.
D) It does not propose solutions to the political and social problems of the day.
E) All of the options are correct.
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48. Supporters of public journalism argue that insisting journalists are “value-neutral”
______.
A) helps bolster the actual professionalism and objectivity of journalists
B) creates a sense of greater trust by the public in the journalism profession
C) actually results in less credibility with the public
D) will help the news remain fair and unbiased
E) is a true reflection of the values held by journalists
49. Which of the following is not true about “fake” news programs such as The Daily Show
with Jon Stewart and The Colbert Report?
A) Their success might be attributed in part to the audience's cynicism about politics
and politicians.
B) They not only satirize people in the news, but critique the news media as well
C) They are simply about telling jokes and never try to express any larger truth.
D) The tradition can trace its roots back to the 1970s when Saturday Night Live started
running “Weekend Update.”
E) The viewers of “fake” shows find the slick, formulaic political ads and canned
sound bites of local TV news stories less persuasive.
50. Which of the following is a basic tenet, or belief, of conventional journalism?
A) Reporters have a moral and ethical duty to help improve civic life.
B) Journalists should help improve political discourse.
C) A free press should question the government and get both sides of a story.
D) Journalists need to become activists for engaging the public in the political process.
E) All of the options are correct.
51. An underlying value held by many U.S. journalists and citizens,
_________________________ pastoralism favors the small over the large and the rural over the
urban.
52. The most prominent value underpinning daily journalism in the United States is
_________________________.
53. _________________________ ethics suggests that reporters should never use deception
to get a story.
54. Ethical decisions that are made on a case-by-case basis are called
________________________ ethics.
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55. John Stuart Mill's ethical principle was to promote the “greatest
_________________________ for the greatest number” of people.
56. _________________________ refers to the merging of print and broadcast news with
online news.
57. A type of journalism driven by citizen forums, _________________________
journalism goes beyond telling the news to embrace a broader mission of improving the quality
of public life.
58. Name and explain at least three elements that contribute to the newsworthiness of an
event.
59. Name three conventions of objective-style journalism. Briefly explain how each
convention can lead to a certain bias in a news report, resulting in some angles being privileged
and others being dismissed.
60. A news department is considering using undercover reporters and hidden cameras to get
a story, but is having trouble deciding whether or not it would be ethical. What advice about
these tactics might they get from philosophers like Immanuel Kant, John Stuart Mill, or
Aristotle? Pick one tenet of ethics from each philosopher and explain how it would help resolve
this predicament.
61. How has convergence with the Internet changed the demands on traditional print and
broadcast journalists?
62. What is “public journalism”? What are two potential benefits and two potential
criticisms of public journalism?
63. Should journalists stick to just reporting the facts and let news consumers decide for
themselves what to believe? Why or why not?
64. In what ways do fake news shows such as The Daily Show with Jon Stewart and The
Colbert Report appeal to young people disenchanted with our political system?
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65. Imagine you could choose to work for either a conventional news outlet or one that has
adopted more of a social responsibility model. What qualities would you find most appealing
and unappealing about each option? Which would you end up choosing and why?
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Answer Key
1. A
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